Build Back Better is a generational investment in North Carolina families
When the U.S. House passed the Build Back Better Act last Friday, President Biden and Democrats moved one step closer to delivering lower costs to families, uplifting the middle class, and improving the lives of North Carolinians. Watching the bill move closer to becoming law, I couldn’t help but think about my own family.
Growing up as a farm girl in Franklin County, I had 17 siblings. We took care of each other and were lucky to have a community of support from our church and neighbors, but we didn’t have much. When we got out of school, we would go to the farm and help out. When my mom and dad were busy working on the farm, there was always an older sibling to take care of the younger ones. Those afternoons on the farm were our form of child care. If we didn’t have that, I’m not sure what my family would’ve done.
When I became a mom, sending my three children to a formal preschool was not an option. They went to a daycare run by two elderly women out of their home. With three children and being a teacher full-time, it was how we made it work. Later on in life, I contemplated going to law school, but after only being accepted to the daytime program, I had to let go of that dream to keep my job and take care of my family.
Struggling to access affordable child care is not unique to my family. Child care is a major strain for families in North Carolina, where the average annual cost of a child care center for a toddler is $8,746, meaning that a North Carolina family with two young children would on average spend 21 percent of their income on child care for one year. The Build Back Better Act will enable North Carolina to provide access to child care for 629,956 young children and ensure these families pay no more than seven percent of their income on high-quality child care, not only lowering costs for families, but allowing parents — especially mothers — to get back to work.
It will also extend the Child Tax Credit boost, putting more money in the pockets of parents each month. Since North Carolina families started receiving the Child Tax Credit in July, the tax cuts have already begun to reduce financial anxiety and help parents pay for necessities like groceries and daycare for their kids.
Now, as the primary caregiver for my mom, I can see how hugely beneficial the Build Back Better Act’s investments in elder care are for people who look after their parents. The Build Back Better Act will expand access to home and community-based care to more of North Carolina’s senior citizens and disabled citizens, and improve the quality and wages of caregiving jobs.
My siblings and I made a promise to our mom that we would take care of her and keep her in the home, but not everyone can do that.
Seniors deserve not only quality care, but affordable medication, too. Thanks to President Biden, the Build Back Better Act will also reduce the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and get the best deal for seniors. Lowering health care costs and drug prices will deliver savings to seniors and North Carolinians across the state who depend on life-saving medication.
Taken together, all of these investments will make life more affordable for North Carolina parents, workers, and families. Because of Democrats, millions of kids will not have to live in poverty, seniors will have the health care they deserve at lower costs, and families and small businesses will have what they need to thrive — yet Republicans, including U.S. Senate candidates Ted Budd, Pat McCrory, and Mark Walker, continue to stand in opposition.
At every stage of my life, I can see how the Build Back Better Act would make an enormous impact, and I’ve only scratched the surface of the wonderful provisions this bill makes to strengthen our economy and help people get to work. For North Carolina families like mine and countless others, the U.S. Senate must act to make these transformative investments a reality.